Mindfulness

It's important to make sure we are looking after our mental health as well as our physical health. One tool which can help with this is something called “mindfulness”. Mindfulness allows you to focus on the here and now, to take a break and just be. This in turn can help you feel relaxed. It may even help your attention on other things like your school work.

Here is a short mindfulness exercise

Sit in a comfortable place. Gently shut your eyes.
Breathe in counting to 5. Breathe out counting to 5.
Pay attention to your breath as it goes in and out. Notice how your belly or chest moves as your breath goes in and out.
Think about a word that makes you happy. This could be a favorite thing or a pet or even the name of a feeling like “happy” or “calm”.
If your mind starts to think about other things, don’t worry, just bring your attention back to the word or your breath.
Do this for 1-2 minutes to start. As you get used to practicing this mindfulness exercise, you may want to increase this to 5 minutes.

Creating a mindful kitchen

When you have kidney disease, a lot of time can be spent thinking about what foods you can include within your diet, how best to cook these foods and also how to adapt meals to suit any specific dietary restrictions you may need to follow.

A clean and organized kitchen will aid your ability to put together mindfully crafted meals that are going to help keep you well.

Get organised

Consider using shelf organisers or storage containers to store items like snacks, canned goods, bags of rice etc.
When adding food items to the shelves, place the newest foods to the back so you use those with the shortest dates first.
Make a list of what you have in your cupboard so you don't buy items that you already have in stock.
Labelling and dating your food will also help you see what you need to purchase next.

Canned beans

e.g. black beans, chilli beans

Canned beans are a healthy, high fibre protein source which are affordable and versatile. Beans are a great base for veggie burgers, soups and stews, and make a simple salad topper. Choose those which are tinned in water rather than salted water, or rinse the beans before using to get rid of excess salt. Quick-cooking lentils are also easy alternatives to stash in your pantry.

Whole grains

Versatile and quick-cooking whole grains, like quinoa, whole-wheat, couscous, and whole-wheat pasta, contain fibre, antioxidants, and inflammation-fighting phytonutrients. Whole grains are healthier compared to white pasta, white rice, and white bread and can help keep you feeling full and satisfied for longer.

Other important ingredients

Herbs & spices

Having these available in your kitchen means you can add flavour to your meals very quickly.

Lemons & limes

Citrus flavours can be added to any marinade or salad dressing, so have a few lemons, limes, oranges on hand.

Assorted oils & vinegars

Oils can be used for cooking and making dressings/sauces for foods.

Onions, garlic, & shallots

These flavourful vegetables can be tossed in a basket at the bottom of your pantry and last for weeks. Add them to a stir-fry, or mince and add to a dressing or marinade.

If you are following a low potassium diet, please check with your dietitian about whether you can include these options in your diet or not.